Collapsible kaleidoscope



Nov. 26; 1963 A. WELLES ETAL COLLAPSIBLE KALEIDOSCOPE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 29, 1961 INVENTORS.

Aer s/Mase ANA/577E flzzfis ATTORNEY Nov. 26, 1963 A. WELLES ETAL 3,111,873

COLLAPSIBLE KALEIDOSCOPE Filed Nov. 29, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent 3,111,878 COLLAPSIBLE KAL'EIDOSCOPE 7 Annette Welles, 4 E. 12th St., and Mary Sinder, 320 E.

86th St., both of New York, NY. Filed Nov. 29, 1961, Ser. No. 155,782 1 Claim. (Cl. 88-15) This invention relates to kaleidoscopes and more particularly to a collapsible kaleidoscope.

The conventional kaleidoscopes available presently are relatively long tubular devices and of relatively large,

diameter. Accordingly they are characterized by their bulkiness. Being bulky they are difficult to transport by mail and difiicult to enclose in a package if it were to be used as a premium item in the sale of merchandise.

This invention overcomes the above specified shortcomings of the prior art kaleidoscopes.

It is an object of this invention to provide a collapsible kaleidoscope.

It is a further object to provide a collapsible kaleidoscope adapted to be easily converted into its conventional bulky condition upon use.

It is another object to provide a kaleidoscope that may be collapsed into a substantially flat or planar condition to facilitate the mailing thereof.

It is a further object to provide a collapsible kaleidoscope of substantially integral construction.

These and other objects and purposes of this invention will become readily apparent upon reading the following descriptive disclosure taken in conjunction with the illusment of FIG. 1 having its longitudinal ends secured to gether to form a tubular construction, said embodiment being in substantially its collapsed flat condition suitable for mailing in an envelope,

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 2 in its assembled condition ready for viewing use,

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal section view taken on line 55 of FIG. 4 and showing the simplicity of construction,

FIG. 6 is a cross section view taken on line 66 of FIG. 5 and showing the manner of retaining the eyepiece flap in place Within the tubular shell,

FIG. 7 is a cross section view taken on line 77 of FIG. 5 and showing the manner of retaining the objective box within the tubular shell,

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a modified embodiment showing a cylindrical shell disposed in substantially a planar condition ready for mailing in an envelope or for insertion in a box of merchandise, said embodiment being adapted to receive a separate eye-piece and a separate object box end piece,

FIG. 9 is an expanded longitudinal section view of the cylindrical modification of FIG. 8 provided with the requisite end pieces,

FIG. 10 is a cross-section view taken on line 10-10 of the modification of FIG. 9,

FIG. 11 is a cross-section of a separate object box glued to an end flap shown in dotted outline,

FIG. 12 is a cross-section of a modified object box made from two pieces of light transmitting material, and

FIG. 13 is a cross-section view of still another modification of a separate object box.

3,1 1 1,878 Patented Nov. 26, 1963 According to this invention the long normally bulky tube of a kaleidoscope is adapted to be collapsed to facilitate its packaging and transportation.

The element constituting the tube of the kaleidoscope is preferably provided with integral hinged flaps at each end. The longitudinal element constituting the tube, when assembled, may be of any polygonal cross-sectional configuration including that of a circle. Thus the cylindrical embodiment of this invention may be provided with integral hinged end flaps in the manner shown in the embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 5.

The blank sheet stock used to form the shell may be made of paper, metal, plastic, foil coated paper, etc. The V-shaped reflective mirror used in this invention is of conventional construction and may consist of aluminum metal foil coated cardboard.

Turning now to the drawing and specifically to FIG. 1, there is shown a preferred embodiment of this invention.

A sheet of material, for example suitably strong cardboard, is cut to form a blank 10 of suitable width and length and is provided with an integral viewing end flap 11 and an integral object box end flap 12.

The blank 10 is preferably provided with suitable score marks 12X to form, for example, a tube of hexagonal configuration (FIG. 3). However, tubular configurations from the triangular form to infinity, i.e., the circular form of no longitudinal score marks are operable in this invention.

The hinge end flaps 11 and 12 are preferably provided with at least one locking tab 13 of suitable size to effect good frictional seizures to the assembled tubular shell (FIG. 4).

The end flaps 11 and 12 are made hingeable preferably by the use of score marks at the line of juncture to the body portion 10 of the integral cut-out blank. Also the tabs 13 of whatever shape are preferably provided with score marks to permit ease of bending the flaps to a right angle to the plane of the body portion of the end flaps 11 and 12.

The body portion of the eye piece end fiap is provided with a centrally disposed aperture 14 of suitable diameter. The body portion of the object box end flap 12 is provided with a large diameter aperture 15. An annular ring of adhesive 16 is disposed about the edge of aperture 15 and the object box 17 is secured adhesively thereto.

The object box 17 is provided with a translucent extrior Wall 18 and a preferably transparent interior wall 19 (FIG. 12). The object box 1'7 may be made from two plastic cup-shaped elements suitably adapted to nest one within the other (FIG. 12) or it may be of diiferent construction as shown for example, in FIGS. 11 and 13 and as will be described hereinafter.

A conventional longitudinal reflector mirror 20 is provided with a V-shaped cross-section and is of a suitable length. The mirror 20 is provided with a longitudinal lip 21 on each of its longitudinal edges. The lips are adhesively secured to adhesive lines 23 critically disposed on the blank 10. Once the lips are adhesively or otherwise secured to the interior surface of the blank, they remain there permanently even in the collapsed condition of the kaleidoscope.

Thus the secured mirror 20 is always in its critical preselected position upon opening the collapsed kaleidoscope into its position ready for viewing.

FIG. 8 shows another modification of the invention wherein the wall 22 is provided with a smooth cylindrical wall, which wall may be visioned as a polygon of an infinite number of sides.

The cylinder wall 22 is made of suitable bendable material, paper, plastic or the like so that it can be flattened without effecting permanent crease marks at the line of bending. The edges of the cylindrical wall are suitably overlapped and secured together by conventional means such as adhesive.

The cylindrical wall 22 may be and preferably is provided with suitable integral hinged flaps similar to flaps 11 and 12. However, this invention relates importantly to all kaleidoscopes collapsible longitudinally so that it includes kaleidoscopes having separate ends as shown in FIGS. 8 to 9.

The viewing end of the cylindrical modification (FIG. 9) is provided with a round cap 23 having an annular lip 24 and a centrally disposed aperture 25. The diameter of the cap is made larger than the diameter of the cylindrical wall 22 so as to frictionally seize said wall at its front end.

The rear end of the cylindrical Wall is provided with similar circular cap 26 having a much larger aperture 27 and a wider annular lip 28. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 9 an object box 17 is adhesively secured over the aperture disposed at the rear of the kaleidoscope.

The object box may be variously constructed, but it must permit the passage of light through its opposed parallel walls. As shown in FIG. 9 the object box may consist of a cup shaped circular cap 28X made, for example, from clear plastic material. A suitable cylinder 29, for example of paper, is frictionally disposed about the lip of the cap 28X and a circular sheet of translucent plastic or glass 30 is adhesively secured to rim of the cylinder 29 and to the edge of the aperture 27 of the end cap 26. As shown in FIG. 9, the diameter of the round object box is such as to fit into the diameter of the cylinder wall 22 whereas the diameter of the cap lip 28 is such as to frictionally slide over and seize the outside surface of the cylinder wall 22. The mirror 20 has a smaller length that that of wall 22 so that there is provided an unobstructed annular sleeve 31 at the rear end of the cylindrical wall 22 adapted to receive the round object box disposed in the rear end cap 26.

Other constructions of object boxes suitable for use in rear end caps or rear flaps are shown in FIGS. 11 to 13. All these object boxes are provided with exterior translucent walls disposed in parallel spaced-apart relationship to an interior transparent wall to form a chamber therebetween adapted to receive objects 32 of broken bits of glass, paper clips, etc.

As shown in FIG. 2, the object box 33 may be provided with a polygonal configuration to co-act with a like polygonal kaleidoscope wall 10.

In FIG. 11, the object box is provided with an exterior cup shaped translucent wall 34 and with a like cup shaped transparent inner wall 35, said cup shaped walls being adhesively secured to a suitably wide ring 36 made for example, from paper or plastic. The object box being shown (FIG. 11) secured adhesively to an end flap 12 shown in outline.

FIG. 12 shows a modified object box made of two elements, namely an exterior translucent cup-shaped wall element 18 of relatively large diameter into which an inner cup-shaped transparent wall element 19 of lesser diameter is frictionally disposed.

In FIG. 13 there is shown still another modification of an object box, a modification of the object box of FIG. 11. In FIG. 13 the annular ring 36 of FIG. 11 is disposed within the respective lips of the respective cupshaped light transmitting walls 34 and 35.

Clearly this invention is of generic scope and is not to be limited to the plurality of illustrative modifications shown and described herein.

For example, an obvious modification of this invention comprises a kaleidoscope having an integral end flap at one end and a separate end cap at the other end. M

Also the object box may be so constructed as to fit.

within the open rear end in a frictional manner thereby itself constituting the end cap.

Furthermore, object boxes for example, of FIGS. 11, 12, 13 each having separate objects therein may be selectively and interchangeably used adhesively as by use of pressure sensitive adhesive with a specific integral or even separate rear end flap or cap.

All such obvious modifications are deemed to be embraced within the generic scope of the claim herein.

We claim:

An integral kaleidoscope hingedly collapsible planarly along opposing medial lines comprising a multi-sided longitudinal tubular element adapted to collapse inwardly along a pair of opposed longitudinal lines; an integral centrally apertured front eyepiece end-flap having integral foldable seizure flaps thereon for engaing said tube in frictional engagement, secured hingedly to the front end of said tubular element; an integral centrally apertured rear end-flap having identical foldable integral seizure flaps thereon for engaging said tube in frictional engagement, secured hingedly to the rear end of said tubular element; a longitudinal V-shaped flexible mirror sheet secured integrally and interiorly within said tubular element from end to end thereof and a dual wall light transmitting object box secured upon said rear flap on the interior face thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 862,438 Boehm Aug. 6, 1907 1,928,792 Ottinger Oct. 3, 1933 2,452,363 Flotron Oct. 26, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS 219,883 Great Britain Aug. 7, 1924 443,080 Italy Dec. 6, 1948 716,012 Great Britain Sept. 22, 1954 

